Daughters of the Moon
by Once Upon a Femmeslash
Summary: Set immediately post Child of the Moon. Ruby feels pretty good about the lack of damage from her night on the loose, but everything may not have gone as she thought. May (probably) end up Red Beauty later, and possibly (likely) Swan Queen as well.
1. Chapter 1

Shorter first chapter than I'd prefer, but I feel that cutting it off here adds to the suspense and I'm thinking I'll try my hand at a more suspenseful/mysterious approach than I've used for other fics.

Set directly after Child of the Moon.

* * *

"Could you call Granny and have her get Belle? I may have left her chained up in the library."

David nodded, taking the cloak as Ruby held it out. "Sure. Where are you going?"

Ruby smiled as she opened the door. "I'm going to do something I haven't done for a very long time: run."

Ruby's speed increased rapidly as she sped down Main Street, first on two legs but quickly onto four. People jumped out of her way as the wolf made her way to the forest.

Ruby, lucid, mused "I don't seem to do as much damage when out of control in Storybrooke as I did in the other land. Not that I'm complaining."

* * *

Granny made her way up the steps of the library, muttering to herself. 'That girl, she's lucky this didn't turn out like it did with Peter. No foresight, she has. And so unwilling to let anyone help her." She paused in the entryway of the library to let her eyes adjust to the very low light, most of which was from the open doorway, and the streetlight cast an eerie yellow-orange across the rows of dusty bookshelves. The deep shadows unsettled her somewhat as she rushed to free Belle.

She felt out light switches as she moved through the darkened library to where they had placed the chains. The boarded-up windows afforded little illumination in her search, and more than once Granny bumped some book cart or reading chair with a muttered expletive.

"Sorry about Ruby, dear!" she called out to Belle. "She did intend to protect you. You'll be glad to know that it really wasn't our Ruby who killed that poor boy; it was Charming's… adoptive father?"

Granny shook her head as she swung open the door to the room where Belle was chained. A shiver ran down her spine as the musty scent of long-unread books assaulted her. She fumbled for the light switch, shaking off her heebie-jeebies after she heard the foreboding jingle and scrape of chains against a concrete floor accompanied by the whap-a-whap of a dog shaking itself.

"Anyway, the good new is that everyone is safe and s-"

Granny cut off mid sentence as she was interrupted by a warning growl.

* * *

David was quiet as he entered the apartment, not wanting to wake Henry. He placed the cloak on the living room sofa as he passed and headed towards the stairs in the quiet apartment lit only by moonlight. He watched his steps closely on the stairs to avoid a telltale creak. As he neared Henry's room he heard low, even breathing that gave him a small paternal smile.

His smile dissipated and his heart rate sped when he leveled with Henry's door and was able to make out two distinct breathing patterns. He wished to believe that the second pattern belonged to Regina, who may have decided to watch over Henry until David returned, but he knew that the mayor would _never_ wheeze like that. The accompanying soft snort was inconceivable for the woman as well.

Moonlight through the window cast a bluish tint across the highly shadowed room as he gently pushed open the door with a hand on his empty holster. He froze as the door swung open a few more inches with a long, drawn-out creak and the snuffling of the second breathing pattern abruptly ceased.

David's eyes searched the shadows until the outline of a canine head raised and luminous amber eyes met his as a low growl sent a surge of adrenaline through his cardiovascular system.


	2. Chapter 2: Regina

In case it isn't clear this chapter is set the night before the previous chapter as a flashback of sorts. The next chapter likely will be as well.

* * *

Regina set down the decanter gently as she glanced outside. The full moon glittered across the freshly-watered grass of her manicured lawn, the sky more of a dark blue than black. After taking a sip, she set her glass down to walk over to the window, sliding behind a chair to lean against the sill. The soft wood of the sill was cool to the touch as the night air leaked through. Regina rested her warm forehead against the cold glass of the window, the black curtains thrown over her shoulders to facilitate an unobstructed view. She watched as her breath fogged the glass, the moisture barely having time to dissipate before another breath clung to the frosty pane.

Her gaze swept across her picturesque back yard, the moisture twinkling in the foliage, the last blooms of flowers poking out to lend their red and white petals to the scenery. She placed the heels of her palms against the wood of the window and pushed upward before pausing to remove a screw from each side and to unfasten a latch on top before repeating the motion. The muscles in her arms strained, her hair fell into her face, she bit her lower lip, as she shoved open a window that had remained closed for twenty-eight years; there wasn't much need to air a window placed inconveniently behind an ornate fainting couch that had remained in the same place since long before her son arrived.

Regina rubbed her palms as the cool breeze permeated the thin fabric of her white tank top and rustled her black silk pajama pants. The air smelled crisp, petrichor mixed with a distant hint of wood smoke, accentuated by a faint wisp of aroma from her roses. She knelt on the floor and placed her chin on the sill, closing her eyes to allow the cool breeze to wash over her face and bring memories of catching fireflies with Henry when he was younger, of feeling the soft grass beneath her bare feet as she taught him to walk one clear evening, of a time in a garden far away when for the second time in her life she met a man who adored her, if only for her beauty.

The thought struck her to disregard the late hour and tend to her beloved apple tree; it would probably be safer at this time than to be caught at the town hall during the day anyway. Immediately she stood, dusting off the knees of her pajamas and closing the window. She downed the rest of her cider before heading upstairs to change into something more suited for gardening.

* * *

Regina quietly closed her car door and strode across the lawn of the Town Hall in a white tank top, jeans, and sneakers with a bag of gardening tools slung over her shoulder. She would never let anyone see her in the twenty-eight-year-old jeans with the ripped knees or the well-worn sneakers, but she couldn't very well garden in a pencil skirt and heels.

The air was chilly and damp on her bare arms as Regina took a deep breath of the fall air, savoring the scent of fallen leaves that reminded her of the times at Ichabod's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze with Henry. She let the bag fall to the right of her with a soft thump as she sunk to her knees to begin weeding. She worked silently for an indeterminate amount of time, losing herself in the practiced motions of weeding, watering, and fertilizing as her mind wandered. Her hair began to stick to her forehead as she perspired with effort, but at the same time she shivered as the alcohol in her system wore off.

She froze, muscles tensing, when she heard a distant howl crescendo before tapering off as it disappeared somewhere to the right. Regina glanced nervously up to the full moon, a pang of worry flooding her as her thoughts went out to her son. She physically shook away her worries with a wobble of her head that travelled down to her shoulders and out to her hands in an attempt to relieve tension. Henry should be fine. He was staying with the sheriff and prince, armed with both a sword and a gun. She had made sure to bring over the waitress's cloak anyway, just in case _the_ curse didn't dwarf the lycan curse. Still, she tested the weight of the trowel in her hand, assessing its potential merit as a weapon in defense of her own person.

She again froze, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the trowel, when a twig snapped to her left. She knelt perfectly still, eyes wide, as a furry form slowly emerged from the bushes with a shake of its coat. Her pulse filled her ears as the wolf ambled across the lawn sniffing indeterminately, not seeming to notice her. Regina's breathing came in quiet, shallow gasps as she remained watchfully immobile, trembling despite herself. She contemplated turning the wolf into a harmless toad, but she was loathe to break her promise to Henry and wasn't sure she would be able to catch the amphibious waitress to turn her back once the moon waned anyway. Her panic swelled as the wolf neared, pacing slowly towards her tree. It was but a meter away when, sniffing the fertilizer under the trees, it suddenly sneezed.

With a startled yelp Regina toppled over onto her back.

She saw a flash of the luminous moon before a furry, toothy face obstructed her vision as the werewolf stood towering over her, growling. Desperately she searched amber eyes for a hint of humanity, but she was met only with a predatory glare. Her chest heaved, glistening with perspiration. Goosebumps traversed her arms and chest, spun by fear or chill or the tickle of fur against her skin. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and struck out with her trowel before scrambling to her feet and fleeing.

She didn't dare look back as she sprinted to the door of the Town Hall, legs burning and lungs gasping. Inertia slammed her into the door before she pulled back to turn the knob only to find it locked. "Fuck," she breathed, panting, as a furry weight slammed into her from behind. She felt claws dig into her shoulders as acrid, canine breath swept across her face from over her shoulder. She pushed off the door with as much force as she could muster, hoping to land upon the wolf on her back. As she fell backwards, momentum nearly carried her knees over her head. Something silver flashed in the moonlight, and an idea occurred to Regina.

Ignoring the wolf scrabbling out from under her she fumbled with her silver buckle in a desperate attempt to remove her belt in time. The wolf tumbled over itself after extracting itself from Regina. As it regained its footing Regina lifted her hips from the pavement, tugging frantically at her undid belt to pull it through the loops. When she finally pulled it free the wolf had already launched towards her again, and it sank its teeth into her upper right arm with a sickening sound. Regina ground her jaw at the pain and used her left hand to whack the wolf on the head with the belt. Only then did it let go, but as soon as Regina had hopped to her feet it was lunging at her again. Regina grasped the end of the belt in both hands and swung it like a whip, the buckle making solid contact with the wolf's ribs.

The wolf recoiled with a whimper before sprinting off with its tail between its legs. Regina watched her go with sadness, eyes lingering on the long shadow cast by the bright moon as the wolf loped through the tall hedges towards the clock tower. She dropped the belt to stand panting, sweaty and bloody, her hair falling in her face, clutching her arm. "Sorry, Ruby."


	3. Chapter 3: Belle

Belle slowly set down her book and her sandwich and looked to the library door as she heard it creak open. She had contemplated locking the door behind her but decided that the public library belonged to the town and that anyone who would steal a book should have it.

"Hello? May I help you?" Belle called out as she moved towards the door. The library was dimly lit, as Belle had "taken a break" from shelving books to eat and read before darkness had fallen and hadn't wanted to put down such a good story for something so trivial as light.

She heard the wheels of a book cart squeak to her right and slowly turned, squinting hard as she peered between the dark shelves. She slowly approached the source of the noise, her heart rate quickening with trepidation and excitement. Her hands were up in a defensive position as she slowly stepped into the shadows of the library. When she reached the cart she'd been using to shelve books earlier her gaze swept the area warily. She jumped when her hip hit the edge of the cart while she wasn't looking, then laughed at herself.

Shaking her head, she returned to her desk to finish her sandwich. "I'm being foolish," she reassured herself aloud. "Just too many horror novels too late in the evening."

She froze at the edge of the shadow of the bookshelves when she heard a snort and a smack coming from her desk. She shrank back into the shadow and took a few calming breaths before peering out again. She slowly stepped forward cautiously, a large book in hand as a potential weapon. She held her breath as she leaned over the front of the circulation desk.

Belle slowly exhaled as she stood rigid, looking down at the wolf who had walked in and begun eating her sandwich. She breathed shallowly, trying to not to startle it. The way she was leaning over the desk quickly became uncomfortable as the edge dug into her stomach, so she began to readjust inch by inch while trying not to lose sight of the wolf as the librarian considered her options.

Belle had pushed herself up onto her arms in order to gain a better view, her toes dangling a few inched above the ground, when the wolf's motions suddenly stopped. Belle's heart pounded as she balanced on the edge of the desk, watching the wolf sniff the air with ears alert. Suddenly she found herself eye-to-eye with the wolf, startling yellow irises staring straight at her. She yelped in surprise and lost her balance, pitching forward and falling over her desk directly towards the wolf.

Belle managed to fall onto her back without hurting herself, but in the wolf's eyes she had lunged at her and the beast responded accordingly. Belle's scream pierced the still night as the wolf's jaws closed on her forearm. Belle searched the floor within her reach with her left arm, seeking anything to defend herself with. "Stop it!" she screamed as she found yesterday's copy of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. She brought the rolled-up paper down swiftly on the wolf's nose and repeated, in a commanding tone, "Stop it! Let go!"

To Belle's surprise the wolf released her arm and shrunk back, growling. Belle quickly scrambled into a kneeling position, holding her injured arm to herself and holding the rolled-up newspaper defensively. "Good dog," Belle whispered with a sigh of relief.

Slowly Belle lowered the newspaper, and once she had set it down to her left the growling stopped. Belle eyed the wary wolf, then the slobbery remains of her sandwich that were laying under her desk. "Were you hungry?" she asked in a soothing tone.

She took the low whine as a "yes" and reached into the bottom drawer of her desk, grabbing a package of Lemonade Girl Scout cookies. "Here, girl." Belle held one out towards the wolf, who sniffed it cautiously. "These are Ruby's favorite. She gave me a box when she realized I didn't know what Girl Scouts were."

Belle smiled when the wolf scarfed it down in one bite and then licked the crumbs from her hand. She dumped the entire box on the floor between her and the wolf and scooted back a foot or so while the wolf ate. Belle grabbed her scarf from the back of her desk chair and wrapped it around her arm as a makeshift bandage until she could have Gold heal it with magic. She sat back, cradling her arm, as she watched the wolf eat. Her fear had left her when the wolf had accepted the cookie, but the adrenaline still pumped through her system causing an exhilarating rush. She grinned, marveling that adventure had found her when she least expected it.

When the wolf had eaten all the cookies and thoroughly licked the floor it ambled over to Belle, who noticed the slight limp in its walk. Belle forced herself to sit still as the wolf sniffed her over in search of more food, honing in on the left pocket of her skirt. She pulled out the pack of gum and handed over a piece, smiling at the wolf as it tried to chew it. Slowly she reached for the wolf's side, running her fingers lightly through matted fur as she felt for injury.

As Belle's hand reached the wolf's ribs it yelped, jumping back with a hurt look in its luminous eyes. "No, wait, I'm sorry!" Belle pleaded as the wolf slunk out of the library with its tail between its legs. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Belle watched from the library doors as the wolf jogged down Main Street, picking up speed, until disappearing into the woods at the edge of down.


	4. Chapter 4

In case it isn't clear, this chapter occurs chronologically right after chapter one.

* * *

Ruby froze, skidding to a stop from a full sprint and almost running into a tree. Something wasn't right. Something was very, very wrong. She sniffed at the air, wary of any signs of trouble. As her gaze lifted towards the sky she heard it again, a long low howl lifting toward the full moon as it carried throughout Storybrooke.

Ruby's heart pounded as she turned and ran back towards town in a panic. That howl was unmistakably _not_ from any ordinary wolf.

* * *

Ruby stood utterly still at the edge of town, ears perked, waiting for another wail that would help her hone in on where exactly the other wolf was. She took off at a run straight down main street when she heard a howl coming from the library. _Shit_, she thought. _Belle!_

The fur on the back of her neck bristled when an answering howl rose on the other side of town. Her blood pumped with adrenaline as she sprinted towards the library to check in with that situation before figuring out who _else_ she'd turned. _Apparently I got around last night,_ she mused with shame.

Ruby trotted to stop in front of the library, sniffing at the doors. Her astute ears noted a creak and a quiet squeak, and then suddenly an empty book cart hurdled towards her. Ruby leapt out of the way as Granny stepped into view, brandishing a chair.

"Back! Back, beast! I didn't survive forty years of turning furry every full moon, raising two rebellious wolf-kids, and a goddamned curse to be eaten by a small-town wolf pack in coastal Maine!"

Ruby stepped back, mentally clamoring for a way to show Granny who she was. She quickly decided that appearing as friendly as possible would be in her best interests, so she lowered the front half of her body and wagged her tail playfully. She then started chasing her tail, much to Granny's confusion. Finally she flopped onto the ground, panting, and wiggled her legs in the air in a manner that suggested a demand to be petted.

Granny slowly set down the chair. "Ruby?"

Ruby jumped to her feet and nodded vigorously.

"Well then," Granny admonished, "did you lose your hood already or did you just decide to go for a joy run and scare the heavens out of an old lady?"

Ruby lowered her head apologetically and let out a low whine.

"Don't you start trying to guilt-trip me now. You know I'm not falling for the cute little act." Granny sighed. "Regardless, we have bigger issues right now. I don't know how much longer those chains are going to hold."

Granny turned and led Ruby through the library to the captive werewolf.

* * *

The hairs on the back of David's neck stood on end as the wolf standing over Henry howled in answer to the wolf on the other side of town. He watched nervously as Henry stirred, woken by the sound. He stepped forward, ready to defend his grandson with his bare hands if the wolf were to turn on the boy.

The wolf's amber eyes met his. Their gaze locked for a breathless moment before, in one fluid movement, the wolf leapt from Henry's bed and landed a foot away from David, teeth barred.

A twinge of fear surged through David as moonlight glinted off the wolf's pearly whites. Its fur was backlit by the moonlight filtering in through the window and David could clearly see the outline of raised hackles and whiskers that fluttered around powerful jaws as the wolf breathed.

He stepped back slowly, the wolf's eyes tracking him warily. Once back into the hallway he began to backtrack towards the living room where the red hood lay on the sofa. One large step took him out of the unmoving wolf's line of sight and he broke into a sprint, tumbling down the spiral staircase from the lofted area into the living room. He could hear the wolf racing after him as he tripped toward the sofa.

David grabbed the cloak and turned to see the wolf launching off of the balcony, lunging for him. As the wolf's lithe form barreled toward him David desperately swung the cape. It wrapped around the wolf just before it landed on top of David, knocking him to the ground.

David flinched, bracing himself with eyes closed against the mauling he was sure he was about to recieve. Instead, he received a punch to the shoulder.

Regina stood up, straightening the cloak on her shoulders and fastening it under her chin. "I thought you were an intruder. You should have announced yourself instead of sneaking around like that," she chastised. "I could've killed you, or worse- frightened Henry."

David stood, rubbing his shoulder. "What were _you _thinking, hanging around Henry in wolf form? How did you even get that way?"

Regina glared at David, her hands on her hips. "I would _never_ harm my son in _any_ form, if that's what you're implying. And I became a wolf in the way most do; I was bitten."

David opened his mouth as if to respond but was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He answered it immediately but before he could say "hello" the voice at the other end of the line barked out an order and hung up.

"That was Granny, with Ruby. We need to get over to the library."

David started towards the door but Regina grabbed him by the shoulder and as a cloud of purple mist dissipated he found himself standing next to Granny amongst rows of bookshelves.

"That's convenient," David noted as he took stock of his surroundings.

Granny was eyeing Regina. "What've you got Ruby's hood for?"

"_Someone_ doesn't trust me in wolf form," Regina replied with a glance towards David.

"Wolf form?" Granny went unheard as David retorted.

"Yeah, because you almost ripped my throat out!"

"In _wolf form_?" Granny was again ignored.

"You came sneaking in unannounced in the middle of the night! I was protecting Henry."

"Are you a werewolf?"

"I came in 'unannounced' because I didn't want to wake Henry. It's my apartment!"

"Since when are you a werewolf?"

"I believe you mean it is _Ms. Blanchard's_ apartment. And don't you forget that I don't need to be a wolf to rip your throat out, or your heart."

"Well I…"

The three were startled into silence upon a loud, impatient bark from Ruby.

Granny turned to Charming. "Okay, this time without the arguing: why is the queen wearing the hood?"

"I threw it on her when she lunged at me. She was a wolf!"

Granny turned to Regina for an explanation.

"Ruby bit me last night. For the record, I was perfectly cognizant of my actions and was no danger to Henry. What's the emergency?"

Granny seemed to want to press for further explanation, but instead she swung open the door to the room where the other wolf was chained.

To her surprise, however, the chains lay empty on the floor.

There was a pregnant pause wherein the group stared in shock into the room until, out of the shadows, lunged a very angry wolf.


End file.
